


The Show Must Go On

by lostangelssong



Series: Weird Grandpa Big Boss [4]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Gen, Metal Gear?!, Sorry Not Sorry, Twins, Weird Grandpa Big Boss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24817222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostangelssong/pseuds/lostangelssong
Summary: Time doesn't stop for a moment, not for anyone.  Not for anything.But sometimes, you have to protect the things that mean the most to you at any cost.
Relationships: Big Boss/Kazuhira Miller
Series: Weird Grandpa Big Boss [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/398530
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	The Show Must Go On

“You can hear me, can’t you Joy?”

She was exhausted. After trying to beat the hatch of the Mammal Pod open, and then spending a few minutes cursing Huey for trapping her in here, and herself for not being fast enough to stop it, Strangelove was sitting down. She wasn’t going to call out to Huey. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her beg.

“I guess I’ll be staying awhile.”

The only answer she got was soft clicking, whirring, and beeps as the Mammal Pod kept its own silent vigil over the unfolding events.

“And I know you’re recording this. Deep down, in some memory board he’ll never find. Not that I’d expect him to look. He never was one for details. Not that he’d find much, even if he went looking. I saw to that myself. I guess this is to be my last will and testament.”

She sighed, thinking about how she was wasting air, wasting time. Wasting what little time she had left.

“At least Hal’s safe. I saw to that as well. I think you would have liked him. You know… he was supposed to be our child. Mine and yours. The father… was irrelevant. It could have been anybody.”

She supposed it was a shame then that her son looked so much like Huey. 

“He’s so  _ bright _ , Joy. Only three, but so very bright. So smart. Huey saw it too. He wanted to use Hal to test that robot of his. That perversion of my work. Of your memory.”

She drew a breath then. The air was thinning. She should still have a bit of time all the same. Definitely not enough. She didn’t think the last few minutes of anyone’s life was ever “enough” time.

“I should have expected this, I suppose. Zero offered to retrieve the pod – to retrieve  _ you _ – from the bottom of the lake after you walked into it. But in return he wanted an AI. An AI to help run his plans when he is gone. He wanted you. I realized that… but I couldn’t just let you sit on the bottom of the lake. Drowned. Forgotten.”

Another breath. The air felt thinner. The Mammal Pod continued its recording. It continued to witness her final moments. Strangelove reached out, placing her hand on the console.

“He should have been more specific. He got an AI. A shoddy mess full of holes. It looked functional enough on the surface. It was going to have your voice… but that would have just brought back too many memories. In the end it wasn’t you. I couldn’t do that again. I couldn’t…”

She took another gasping, shuddery breath. She willed herself to calm down. It didn’t quite work.

“I thought I could bring you back! But even after dredging the lake, the hardware was too damaged. It was like looking at the brain scan of a person in a coma. You may get brain waves, but the person may never be the same. I was able to back up your data. The data from right before you walked into the lake. But to recreate the hardware itself would take years. And even then there’s no guarantee that you’d be the same if I could manage that.”

Her voice was growing fainter. She noted that her breathing was beginning to get shallower as well. She was running out of time.

“I was telling you about Hal, wasn’t I? At least he’s safe now. Free from his father’s hands. I sent him to a place that Huey will never find him. I sent him to the one person that we  _ both  _ know will protect him.”

Her hand slid from the console. Hal had asked if he would see her again. She’d told him she didn’t know. She didn’t want to lie to her son or give him false hope. And it was the truth as far as she’d known it. She’d expected Huey would retaliate but she hadn’t expected  _ this _ . 

“But you’ll protect him too, won’t you Joy? You’ll watch over him. I just know it…”

In the Mammal Pod, the quiet noises began to wind down. Its vigil had ended. There was nothing left to watch.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Boss? Did you order a baby?” This question, of course, came from Beef.

Big Boss looked up at the question, and blinked. “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal just about everywhere, Beef.”

“Well he came on the transport boat. He has a letter for you!”

Big Boss blinked again and took in the picture before him. Beef had a toddler in a football carry under one arm. The little one was clutching what appeared to be a rather big box. And he was squirming.   


“Uh-huh. And the box?”

“He says that’s his,” Beef said before handing the letter over.

“That’s because it is mine!” the boy yelled, practically at the same time.

“I didn’t say we were going to take it, I was just wondering.”

“Put me down!” The little one protested

Big Boss sighed. “So what’s the plan, Beef?”

“Well, I was thinking of taking the kid down to the Mess and getting him something to eat. Maybe there are cupcakes left. Then take him to medical to get him checked out. You know how Hedgehog is about making sure everyone has their shots,” Beef said with a shrug.

“Sure. Some food might calm him down. I’ll look over his shipping invoice here,” Big Boss said, waving the letter a bit in a shooing motion.

Beef left, taking the kid with him. This day had been going so well too. Big Boss sighed as he opened the letter. He recognized the handwriting easily enough even though he hadn’t seen it in years.

“Strangelove?”

The letter itself was rather straightforward.

_ Snake, _

_ If you’re reading this, then Hal got to you safely. I would have come with him, but it’s likely that Huey had other plans. He’s been working on a new weapon. He wanted Hal to be the pilot. I couldn’t allow that. But before things fell apart completely, I was able to safeguard my data and my ultimate creation. And you now have both. I know that despite our past differences you will protect my son. And if you don’t, you will regret it.  _

The letter wasn’t signed, but there was no mistaking who it was from. And he’d be lying if he didn’t have some guesses about what was in that box that the tiny had in a death grip when Beef carried him off. 

“This is a mess,” Big Boss said to no one in particular. He reread the note, but there wasn’t any new information. Though… he had a feeling that he’d end up getting haunted by a very angry ghost if he didn’t manage to protect the kid that Strangelove had felt the need to entrust to him. But then, this wouldn’t be his first time raising kids. And David and Eli were turning out all right so far. 

He sighed, folding the letter up and tucking it into his pocket. He would send the twins to try to cheer up Hal. The kid was probably missing his mom terribly after all. And then he should probably have a strategy session with Kaz. After all, they couldn’t just send the kid back to Huey. But they should also probably have some contingency plans if Huey came looking for the boy. Not that he figured that Huey actually  _ would _ , but it never hurt to be prepared for  _ every  _ possibility.

If Big Boss had to choose which he’d rather deal with, it would be handling Huey. That would be preferable to dealing with Strangelove’s angry (and vengeful) ghost any day. And that wasn’t even getting into the fact that he already had enough ghosts haunting him as it was. He really didn’t need one more.

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled with getting this written. But we're still going. And the next stop on the train is (eventually) going to be the Weird Grandpa Big Boss version of MGS5. 
> 
> So that's something to look forward to. Hopefully starting that doesn't take me forever :)


End file.
